Mr. Financial Analyst

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission! You have a very well-rounded profile: outstanding academics, a track record of very strong extracurricular involvement, and a solid career as a financial analyst in the energy industry. What schools will want to understand is: what motivates you to make a pivot into marketing/consumer goods? What are the professional and personal observations and experiences that have led you to this path? Be sure to explain what drives you and the transferrable skills you’ll be able to bring to this role. For example, CPG brand marketers are expected to be very analytical since they’re required to analyze sales data and provide input into forecasting and production decisions. You’ll also want to think about your Plan B in case your first-choice post-MBA path doesn’t work out (for example, Fuqua has asked about this in its application, and schools sometimes ask this in their interviews). However, as long as you fully explain the motivations behind your goals and how each program will help you achieve them, you’ll be in strong contention. I think the schools that make most sense for you are Ross, Fuqua, and Kellogg. Best of luck!

Mr. Financial Analyst – Thanks for posting your profile. Susan Cera here from Stratus. As a former DI athlete myself, I’m both impressed by your academic peformance and curious about what sport you played/participated in. I’ve had an opportunity to guide several former college athletes through this process including an Olympic medalist and am always inspired by how the lessons learned through athletics can be applied in business.

I’m curious about your motivation to transition into marketing in a CPG firm. As you craft your story it will be important for you to demonstrate how you will use an MBA to build on the skills and knowledge you have developed as an analyst in the energy space to be successful at business school and beyond. I like Booth for you because a lot of applicants overlook their strength and resources in marketing. In fact, last year I worked with a client (who had stats similar to yours) who was offered a Kilts marketing fellowship with zero marketing background. She was able to present how she would leverage the data analytics skills she has developed through her current role can be repurposed to drive marketing strategy.

Wishing you the best on your application journey!